Ruined

I want to give this book a fair review so let’s get two things out of the way. First: when I received this book it was after a few rough nights and while reading it I was at a tug of war with myself. This. Is. Not . The. Books. FaultAs such I’ll be putting it aside for the review Second: I want the third book if there is going to be a third about Nico and Luca but mainly Nico I’ve fallen hard for his character and would love for this to be a loose series where we follow characters introduced from the last book Ie. Book 1 we met Oliver but followed lane Book 2 we met Nico and Luca but followed Oliver Now with that out of the way. The review I read the first book “Bruised” and was excited to see the series (dualology?) continue, Alley Avery writes realistic character dynamics that pull you in, the third act friction she writes is so immersive it happened when I read “creatures like us” and “bruised” there is a chapter or scene that makes me pause and dread the feelings that are coming but that just makes a good book.The relationship between Logan and Oliver was spicy, caring, as well as the realistic reactions to the age gap made you feel for them both. While well written that might have been Oliver’s downfall as he is written well as a 19 year old but that makes his “I want daddy” voice come off as pretend rather than genuine. This made some scenes feel as if I had to push through then but Perhaps it was because I was comparing it to other books with a similar premise that felt more established in the life style then just getting into it.The scene in the dressing room was the only scene that made me uncomfortable which just means I have a new trigger to avoid ha but I will say the characters were just as self aware of what they were doing as we were reading it But as far as writing goes alley Avory’s at her best when writing tension, there were two moments where I had to read slower because my stomach clenched in anxiety along with the characters and it was painful in the best way possibleIf you loved the first book you’ll love this one just as much, while some things didn’t hit me the way I thought they would I still hope there is a third one with the twins